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Sucking behaviour and serum immunoglobulin levels in neonatal piglets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Anne Marie B. de Passillé
Affiliation:
Lennoxville Research Station, Agriculture Canada, PO Box 90, Lennoxville, Québec, Canada, J1M 1Z3§
J. Rushen
Affiliation:
Animal Research Centre, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0C6
G. Pelletier
Affiliation:
Lennoxville Research Station, Agriculture Canada, PO Box 90, Lennoxville, Québec, Canada, J1M 1Z3§
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Abstract

The relationships between the sucking behaviour of newborn piglets during bouts of sucking and their serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels at 12 h of age were investigated in 274 Landrace × Yorkshire piglets from 24 second parity Yorkshire sows. Mean IgG level differed between litters but was not related to the number of live-born piglets or the mean birth weight of the litter; in addition, the amount of variation in IgG level within a litter was not related to the number of live-born piglets or the amount of variation in birth weight of the piglets.

Within a litter, lower serum IgG levels were found in piglets of birth orders greater than eight and piglets that had a very low frequency of sucking bouts. The piglets that had the higher IgG levels within a litter were those that started to suck sooner, sucked from many teats and won more of their teat disputes. Piglets that were involved in fewer teat disputes within a litter or took a greater proportion of their sucking bouts on anterior teats did not have higher IgG levels. Piglets that died differed from their surviving litter-mates in having lower IgG levels and having lost weight during the first 12 h after birth. Within a litter, IgG levels were not related to 10-day weight gain. However, litters with a lower mean IgG level also had a lower mean 10-day weight gain. It is suggested that a low mean IgG level in a litter reflects or predicts a low milk production by that sow.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1988

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